Contact: Mark Herendeen
Endurance Sail-Series,
Phone 321-863-4426
mark@cyberspeed.cc Endurance Sail-Series
Media Release - Endurance Sail-Series Final Round 6: Steeple Chase 2008 Preview(Key Largo, FL, November 28, 2008) The 25th Annual Steeple Chase is hosted by Catamaran Sailor Magazine. Taking place on December 13 + 14, 2008, it is the final of six endurance sail races in the Endurance Series.
The 25th running of this Key Largo distance race will take these 30 plus sailor-athletes 110 statute miles around the big key as by far one the most popular races in the USA for difficulty, competition followed by logistics. The race course is an exhilarating drag race for a first day start at ICW Flashing Green mark #29 in Barnes Sound, Key Largo with a finesse second day start north through the Intracoastal Waterway akin to a horse steeple chase for high performance multihulls. Many sections of the race course are visible by spectators along the shoreline of Key Largo with perfect eye-shot at both finishes and makes for great viewing from spectator boats following along in the gorgeous waters of the Florida Keys.
Steeple Chase 1st day open water start of 9:00AM ends in a beach stop only about a 1/2 hour drive back near the same hotel for many for easy logistics. The points battle tightened heading into this race in the remaining championship standings which has Dingo Racing pre-registered and holding onto 20th in the Sail-Series. BMW On A Cat, Team McDonald, Wiki Wiki, Carbon Cruising, & Space Coast round out the top 5 and yet the top 10 are all within 3 points of each other. The Sail-Series definitely rewards participation, proving that whether teams attend the more or less demanding events can perform well enough to win or place very high in the Sail-Series, especially as teams get better through the Sail-Series.
Bob Walke with Team Wiki Wiki and his all wooden Tornado is also expected to compete. Steeple Chase is typically a more demanding race with its many water-born obstacles on day 2 and a need for very experienced crew/driver communication. 20 foot or 6 meter boats initially dominate the pre-registered teams but a few 16 foot/5.2 meter hi-tech spinnaker boats are expected to test themselves. The championship is far from over and will be decided as some of the 48+ Endurance Sail-Series registered teams head into the Key Largo Steeplechase for ‘the end of the year distance race’ and kind of right-of-passage going into the early Spring of 2009.
The Endurance Series is a Florida based series for sailor-athletes who have a fair amount of experience and feel comfortable sailing in all types of wind and sea conditions. The Sail-Series attracts a wide array of talented and experienced sailor-athletes from serious recreational sailors, continental championship contenders, to potential Olympic hopefuls all wrapped around beautiful scenery, a healthy sport, and a fun social atmosphere; providing a challenge for all experience levels. Some of the events are in lakes/rivers and others are out in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico with distances from 30 miles to 120 miles. Series Website:
www.sailseries.com , Event Website:
www.catsailor.com/Steeplechase.html {NOR}
• Catamaran Sailor Magazine: Rick White/Mary Wells, PO Box 2060, Key Largo, FL 33037, rick@catsailor.com, Tel 305-451-3287, F321-453-0255
www.TonyKellerPhotography.com
